KNAT-TV

KNAT-TV is a religious television station in Albuquerque, New Mexico, broadcasting locally on digital channel 24 (virtual ch. 23) as an owned and operated station of the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Founded October 17, 1975, the station is owned by Trinity Broadcasting Network. The station does air a small amount of public affairs local programming.

Trinity Broadcasting runs a variety of Christian programs ranging such as church services, sermons, variety shows, teaching programs, Christian films, children's programming, and contemporary Christian music. KNAT 23 is one of three full-time Christian television stations in the Albuquerque market.

History

Channel 23 began operation as KMXN-TV in 1975 as a Spanish language television station most of the day. They ran programming from the Spanish International Network (now Univision) daily in the afternoon and evening hours. In the mornings they ran religious programs in English.

In the Spring of 1978 New Mexico Visions purchased KMXN and changed the format to English speaking general entertainment making it a traditional independent. The station ran cartoons from 7-9 a.m./3-5 p.m. weekdays, religious shows 9 a.m. to Noon weekdays, sitcoms/westerns/dramas/movies from noon to 3 p.m. weekdays, classic sitcoms or drama shows 5 to 7 p.m., movies from 7-9 p.m. weekdays, and a blend of dramas and westerns late at night. On weekends the station ran more movies and drama shows along with a lot of religious shows Sunday morning.

KMXN changed its call to KLKK-TV in 1980.

In 1981 KGSW channel 14 signed on and KLKK began to have financial difficulties. In the Summer of 1982 KLKK was sold to Carson Broadcasting which was owned by a group of celebrities headed by Johnny Carson. Carson Broadcasting also owned KVVU channel 5 in Henderson, Nevada. The station was renamed KNAT.

KNAT dropped all the religious programs and began to add more recent off network sitcoms and more recent movies. The religious shows would move to KGSW and a new sign on station KSAF channel 2. While KNAT had good ratings the station continued to lose money.

In April 1985 Carson Broadcasting decided that they could no longer put money into KNAT's operation. At the same time they sold KVVU to Meredith Corporation, which still owns them today. They put KNAT up for sale and sold the programming to KSAF, which became known as KNMZ that same year. KNAT then began airing music videos around the clock. In mid-May 1985, Carson Broadcasting shut down KNAT altogether after being unable to sell the station.

The station stayed up for sale through the Fall of 1985, when Trinity Broadcasting Network, through National Minority Television, purchased KNAT. By the Winter of 1986 KNAT was back on the air running TBN programming 24/7.

Digital television

This station's digital signal, like most other full-service TBN owned-and-operated stations, carries five different TBN-run networks.

TBN-owned full-power stations permanently ceased analog transmissions on April 16, 2009.^[2]

KNAT-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 23, on that date. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 24.^[3] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 23.

References

External links

• Official site
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KNAT-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KNAT-TV